Sharing his view on the SAF-Goa 2017,
Parrikar said, “This festival has brought the Goan tourist season to the
forefront. It has galvanised the multi-faceted culture of Goa to greater
heights. We have always welcomed artists to Goa, and they have all been
extremely delighted to give the audiences here a great performance. Until the
SAF-Goa 2017, there have been many music festivals and films festivals. This is
the first ever performing arts festival to be held here. The momentum it has
gathered is unlike any other form that has ever been witnessed. I am truly
humbled with the line-up of artists from International and Indian genres, and I
am happy to welcome all of them with much delight.”

Speaking on the occasion, Sunil Munjal, a
noted industrialist and Founder and Chief Patron, Serendipity Arts Trust, said,
“Goa is an ideal setting for a festival with the ambitions and scale of
Serendipity. It is scenic, and has great weather. More importantly, Goa
celebrates all kinds of different cultures. It is accepting and very inclusive.
That is why we held the festival here last year as well. We are using the same
venues; all are in Panjim, along the Mandovi river. It will be much bigger than
last time and hopefully, much better. Serendipity aims to revive and rebuild
India’s diverse legacy of performing arts.”

Spread over eight days of non-stop performances and an exciting
extravaganza of displays, the festival commenced on December 15 and will
conclude on December 22.

As residents and tourists marvelled at the murals adoring the
buildings and structures facing Panjim, SAF-GOA 2017 has ten stages, 900
artistes, 70 shows and a multitude of performances throughout the day to
mesmerise audiences.

One of the key highlights of the opening day of the festival was
the exhibition, ‘The Ground Beneath My Feet’, taking place on a barge that is
docked on a jetty along Mandovi River. It’s an exhibition of contemporary art
that brings together cutting edge performance artworks by artists.

Another, was the ‘Serendipity Barefoot School of Craft – Made in
Goa’ – curated by Annapurna Gerimella, an interdisciplinary selection of craft,
architecture and education, and ‘A night in Harlem’ – curated by Ranjit Barot,
which refabricates the vivacity of nightclubs of the golden era of jazz and
effervescence of the origin of contemporary music; featuring epic proportions
of music with lead vocalists, instrumentals, and choir rhythm.

There’s
also the ‘Young Subcontinent’ – presented by Riyas Komu, a compilation of young
commissioned artists that showcase sculptures, installations, and paintings
that extends patronage to cultural activists and artists; and Purush – curated
by Tanusree Shankar, which breaks stereotypes and barriers through dance.